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I'm a third of the way through C21. Skimming the beginning of Acemoglu and Robinson, feels like they are criticizing points that Picketty raises - specifically

I'm a third of the way through C21. Skimming the beginning of Acemoglu and Robinson, feels like they are criticizing points that Picketty raises - specifically that politics plays a substantial role in inequality, and r vs g. Maybe it's just a question of degree. Probably worth more than a cursory glance. Anyways, since you linked to such a relevant C21 response, do you know if there's a team-piketty response to Acemoglu? No longer have access to JSTOR etc, and am not necessarily well equipped to analyze the quantitative claims.

VodkaHaze 10y ago
Picketty's re-response[1]. It gets rather technical from there on. It's not my area of expertise, either, so I won't come with my opinion on the matter. Acemoglu is a giant, and so is Picketty, so I watch the fight from afar. The first two levels of discussion (C21 and Acemoglu's immediate answer) are digestible, though. What's important to understand is that this is all part of a larger discussion on inequality, which has gained a lot of momentum in the last few years in economics (in all fronts -- wealth, income, education, etc.) It's fine to take the position of "I'm not sure" for the moment being, while informing yourself. [1] http://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.29.1.67 http://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.29.1.67
- roflc0ptic 10y ago
  Safe to say I have no opinion I take seriously, for the reasons you mention. It's interesting as all get out, though. Thanks for the links.
  - VodkaHaze 10y ago
    I'd like to add that there seems to be more of a consensus in education inequality. That is, noncognitive skills developed very early (age 0-4) are a huge factor in educational outcome and early childhood intervention is pretty close to agreed upon to be a necessary thing to improve the outcomes of children who grow up in a poor environment. James Heckman's work on the topic might be worth reading.

VodkaHaze 10y ago

Picketty's re-response[1]. It gets rather technical from there on. It's not my area of expertise, either, so I won't come with my opinion on the matter. Acemoglu is a giant, and so is Picketty, so I watch the fight from afar. The first two levels of discussion (C21 and Acemoglu's immediate answer) are digestible, though. What's important to understand is that this is all part of a larger discussion on inequality, which has gained a lot of momentum in the last few years in economics (in all fronts -- wealth, income, education, etc.) It's fine to take the position of "I'm not sure" for the moment being, while informing yourself. [1] http://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.29.1.67 http://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.29.1.67

roflc0ptic 10y ago
Safe to say I have no opinion I take seriously, for the reasons you mention. It's interesting as all get out, though. Thanks for the links.
- VodkaHaze 10y ago
  I'd like to add that there seems to be more of a consensus in education inequality. That is, noncognitive skills developed very early (age 0-4) are a huge factor in educational outcome and early childhood intervention is pretty close to agreed upon to be a necessary thing to improve the outcomes of children who grow up in a poor environment. James Heckman's work on the topic might be worth reading.